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“A lot,” Quinn said. “In fact—”
“If I were you I’d save the sales pitch for Levi Granger, Ms. Sullivan,” Landry said.
And that earned him a glare from Fia so steely Gus thought there might be an actual explosion.
“The profit margins are not going to be terribly high and...”
“You should let us have some of your pastureland,” Landry said.
“Landry King, I swear to God...”
“Well, you should figure out how to make your land more profitable,” Landry said. “Because like you said, the profit margins on this venture aren’t going to be very high. We accept the fact that you have to hire more outside work than the rest of us do.”
“You’re an asshole,” Fia said.
“Okay,” Gus said, lifting his hands, unsure how he became the unofficial peacemaker here. “Let’s just back it up. Why don’t we go away, we’ll call a special meeting, we’ll figure out a compromise. If I look at what money McCloud has specifically, then...”
“I don’t want your charity, Angus,” Fia said.
“And I don’t want your attitude, Fia,” he said.
Everyone present in the barn was watching the exchange. They didn’t often have disagreements, but then, they weren’t often all trying to make moves toward different ventures all at once. And they agreed to put a pin in it, went over other ranch business and by the time it was done, Gus was thankful that extra kegs of beer had been brought around to this particular meeting.
Some of the tension from the earlier moment faded when they went outside, the bonfire already high and burning bright, various members of the ranch setting up to play live music, and brisket being served onto plates.
The evening was cool, the October air crisp, and the fire illuminated everything in a glow. Someone handed him a solo cup full of beer, and he took it, right when the music started to kick up high.
Fia was sitting off by herself looking angry, and Gus scanned the crowd for his wife.
“Hey,” he said, when he found her standing with Rory and Quinn. “You pissed off at me?”
“It’s not your fault. I’m not even mad at the Kings. The thing is, Landry’s not wrong. There’s only the money there is. And we are going to have to solve the rest of the problem.”
“Well. How nice for you to be levelheaded about it.”
“Levelheaded isn’t in Fia’s wheelhouse.”
“Numbers are an immovable object,” Rory said. “It’s why I prefer books.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he said.
“Oh, I know we will,” Quinn said. “If I have to dig the road from our barn to Levi’s to the highway with nothing but my fists and determination, then I will.”
“Somehow unsurprised by that.”
One of the hands started singing a country song Gus knew well, his bass voice doing a decent job of imitating the singer. And Alaina’s eyes brightened, and she took his hand. “Dance with me.”
“Dance with you?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t dance.”
“Please dance with me.”
And she grinned at him, and it was irresistible in a way nothing else ever had been. In his life. The song lyrics asked, “Would you go with me?”
And he realized that he couldn’t deny her.
